


Betrayal

by SyverneSien



Series: refresh au [1]
Category: Minecraft (Video Game), Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Ambiguous/Open Ending, Betrayal, Dark!Jordan, Fist Fights, Gen, Lies, Manipulation, Non-Graphic Violence, Realm of Mianite, So many lies, Trust Issues, for the nerf house :), oops my hand slipped
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-21
Updated: 2020-07-21
Packaged: 2021-03-04 20:47:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,494
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25432591
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SyverneSien/pseuds/SyverneSien
Summary: “The Darkness is here.” Jordan’s voice was quiet and strained. “There’s no more time.” He looked over at Karl, black eyes burning into Karl through his sunglasses. “I’m sorry.” Jordan didn’t sound sorry. In fact, he was smiling.The three champions venture into the Darkness' prison to rescue the god of chaos, Dianite, and retrieve the air stone. Karl didn't expect to be put through five layers of emotional turmoil, but that's just a day in the life of Mianite's champion.
Relationships: No Romantic Relationship(s)
Series: refresh au [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1843156
Comments: 21
Kudos: 35





	Betrayal

“Jordan!” Karl snapped, looking over at his friend, who was staring forlornly out the window. “Come on, we need to go before the Darkness realizes that we’re here. Somebody’s going to notice that Tom nicked the stone.” He walked over to Jordan and gently placed his hand on Jordan’s shoulder. “Mate, are you okay?” Karl’s voice softened, remembering their last adventure together, where he’d become much closer with Jordan. Tom was wonderful and Karl loved him like a brother, but it had been nice to have an opportunity to bond with the Ianite champion.

“I’m fine, Karl,” Jordan insisted, shrugging Karl’s hand away. “I just don’t like this place.” He smiled reassuringly, but it didn’t reach his eyes. “Tom has the stone, you said?” Jordan questioned, glancing up at Karl.

“Yep,” Karl popped the ‘p’, “unfortunately.” He lightly and playfully hit Jordan on the arm. “Maybe we could team up and steal it from him, eh?” Karl joked. “Anyway, Tom’s waiting for us, mate.” Karl gently grabbed Jordan’s wrist and started to lead him out of the room.

Jordan let Karl guide him into the hall, but he continued to glance back at the window. There was a distant look in his eyes and Karl had a sneaking suspicion that something was bothering his friend. But whatever it was, it must not be important - Karl trusted Jordan not to lie to him.

_“There_ you are!” Tom shouted exasperatedly as Karl and Jordan entered the room. He immediately spotted Karl’s grip on Jordan’s wrist and raised an eyebrow. “Don’t trust him to not wander off again?” he asked, looking at Karl.

“Stuff a sock in it, mate,” Karl said with a roll of his eyes, but he released Jordan’s arm. “Just looking after my _friend,_ you know how it is.” He glanced over at Jordan, expecting some support or maybe an added joke, but Jordan just stood, rigid, in silence. “Somebody has to give this guy a break from your nonsense, Mr ‘Dianite-is-the-one-true-god’.” Karl smirked. “Everybody knows that _Mianite_ is the true god. These isles are named after him and everything!” Again, Karl’s eyes flashed to Jordan. There was no response from the Ianitee.

“The stone,” Jordan interrupted with, instead. “Tom, can I see it?” He pushed up his sunglasses and stepped forward towards the Dianitee. “You grabbed it so fast, and we’ve all been risking our lives for this thing. I want a glimpse.” Karl could hear it - the hardened tone of Jordan’s voice. But he had to admit that Jordan had a point. Karl didn’t get to see it either.

“Oh, yeah, definitely,” Tom answered, fishing something out of his pocket. “It’s mine, though, alright?” And there it was, clutched in Tom’s hand. It was smaller than Karl had expected, just a crystal smaller than Tom’s palm. Tom swelled with something Karl recognized as pride.

Jordan walked to Tom with a look akin to glee on his face. “It’s gorgeous…” he murmured with awe. “Such a shame that you can’t keep it, _traitor.”_ Jordan spat out the last word and before Karl could blink, he’d swiped Tom’s legs out from under him and the Dianitee had slammed to the ground.

Tom groaned and Karl watched the stone go skidding across the floor. Karl hesitated and Jordan went for the stone, but Tom quickly got back to his feet and charged directly into Jordan, using his full body weight to throw them both into the ground. There was a sickly crack and Tom tumbled off of Jordan, and Karl assumed that Jordan had broken Tom’s nose. Karl glanced between them, unsure of who to help or what to do.

“Karl-” Tom choked out, latching onto Jordan’s coat and trying to hold him down, “- _get the stone!”_ Any more words were cut off by Jordan as he slammed his elbow into the side of Tom’s head, and though Tom yelped in pain, he didn’t let go.

It seemed those words were all it took to jolt Karl into action. Better in his hands than on the ground, after all - and maybe he could stop Tom and Jordan from fighting if _he_ had it. Karl ran past the Ianitee and Dianitee just as Tom knocked Jordan’s head into the ground. Karl winced - it sounded like it had hurt. Karl knelt and picked up the stone, running his fingers over the smooth edges in his hand. It hummed with a certain energy that was unfamiliar to him, and he held it tightly to his chest as he turned back to Jordan and Tom.

Karl had no idea what else to do. It was hard to tell who was winning the fight - Jordan was stronger, but Tom’s god was a mere few rooms away, and Karl knew how invigorating that feeling was. Karl wanted to help… but who? Jordan, his friend and ally to some extent, or Tom, who was practically family but also followed a god opposite to his?

It turned out that Karl didn’t have to do anything, because as soon as Jordan managed to draw his sword, it was over. The blade had barely touched Tom’s neck before the zombie vanished, soon to be revived by the power of Dianite at the last place he’d slept. Clean and quick, leaving less blood than Tom’s broken nose. It was always a cruel irony, that death hurt less than the injuries that came with surviving a battle.

Jordan clambered up from his position on his knees and limped towards Karl. “The stone,” he extended his hand to Karl, “give it to me, Karl.” Jordan’s chest was heaving and his sword arm hung limply at his side, but Karl knew that it didn’t mean he was weakened. If there was another enemy to fight, Jordan could run them through with it just as rapidly.

“Why do you want it?” Karl asked, taking a small step away from Jordan. The dark look in Jordan’s eyes was making him uneasy. Jordan wouldn’t _kill_ Karl. Tom deserved to get slain every once in a while, but Karl hadn’t done anything wrong. Jordan wouldn’t kill him for the stone.

_Do you really believe that, Karl?_ A voice that sounded suspiciously like Mianite whispered, though Karl was sure it was just his inner anxieties. Karl pushed it away. _Jordan is my friend. I might’ve had the Darkness at one point, but I never really did anything wrong._ Karl looked down at the stone in his hand. _I should keep this and give it to Mianite._ His god would appreciate the gift. Maybe it would help Karl redeem himself. Help him show Mianite that he was worth something, a useful champion instead of somebody that had been shoved onto Mianite’s side against his will.

“I’m going to give it to Ianite,” Jordan answered coolly, adjusting his grip on the netherite sword in his hand. The sword was an uncomfortable reminder of how capable Jordan really was - grey-toned and gleaming with the energy of the Nether and its enchantments, it was the most deadly weapon on the islands. Karl really, really didn’t want to feel its sting. “She’s going to use it to restore balance. That’s best for _all_ of us, don’t you think? You must see that while Mianite is your god, his way is not the best way for everybody. The isles require equal amounts of light and dark, and order and chaos.”

Karl’s free hand went to the diamond sword on his belt, though he knew he couldn’t outfight Jordan. He’d managed to kill Jordan once, during a purge, but it had been a lucky shot with a bow. Attacking Jordan would just get Karl evaporated into dust like Tom. “I still don’t think that I should-” Karl started, tightening his grip on the stone.

“Please, Karl,” Jordan pleaded, meeting Karl’s eyes. There was a layer of glass between Karl and Jordan, but Karl could make out the sincerity in his gaze. “Don’t you trust me? Using the stone for balance will help all the gods. You could take it for yourself and Mianite… but that would be a disaster for me and Tom. Aren’t we your friends? Aren’t _I_ your friend?” Jordan walked slowly towards Karl, and Karl assumed that the odd sharpness with which he moved was because of his recent fight. “You told me once that you wanted what was best for all three of us. This is it.” He opened his palm. “Give me the stone, Karl.”

Karl glanced down, extended his arm, and dropped the stone into Jordan’s hand. As soon as his grip had left it, Karl shivered. The expression on Jordan’s face looked as if it had been carved into stone.

“If Tom asks, I fought you for it, ‘kay?” Jordan told Karl with a small smile. Karl nodded slowly, feeling a pit open in his stomach. For a reason he couldn't quite figure out, Karl felt like a dead man walking. “Good. Pleasure doing business with you, Karl.” The next smile had teeth, and it was dangerous. Karl gulped.

There were fast footsteps in the hall outside and Tom reappeared, panting, in the doorway. He leaned against the frame to catch his breath. Jordan’s expression changed from something Karl would love to go the rest of his life without seeing again to his usual smile as he turned to greet Tom.

“Ah, speak of the devil!” Jordan called. Now that Jordan’s attention was somewhere else, Karl felt as if a weight had been lifted from his shoulders. “To the victor go the spoils, my friend. The stone is mine, and I’m keeping it.” It took Karl a moment to recognize the difference between the tone of voice Jordan was using and the tone he’d been using just moments earlier, and he didn’t like it. In comparison, Jordan’s words to Karl had sounded… conniving. “You’re welcome to lose over it again, if you’d like.” Jordan heaved the netherite sword onto his shoulder.

Tom laughed, and Karl wished he could have the Dianitee’s lightheartedness. “I think one death is enough for today, you naughty, naughty boy! I should trial you for that, Sparklypants!” Tom winked at Jordan and Karl was tempted to kill Tom a second time. “I _should,_ but because we’re still stuck in here, I’ll forget about it if you agree to help out and not wander off again. Deal?” Tom grinned.

“Sure,” Jordan drawled, sheathing his sword. He paused and cocked his head as if he were listening to something that Karl couldn’t hear. “I think our fight drew some… _unwanted_ attention.” He glanced towards the door.

“What are you talking about?” Tom asked, but once Jordan pointed it out, Karl could feel it too. He’d been… not quite _possessed_ by it once, but influenced and manipulated, and he wouldn’t soon forget the cold, sharp tug of the Darkness. It felt like frost creeping over Karl’s feet, urging him to stay and be caught.

Karl did not want to stay and be caught by the Darkness. “The Darkness. It knows we’re here,” Karl explained. “We should meet up with Dianite and leave as fast as we can.” He had already escaped the Darkness’ hold twice - once through the Tank of Judgement and once by breaking out of the prison - and was not eager to have to do it again.

Tom’s eyes widened, the stone forgotten. “I know the way- er, I’ll figure it out. It can’t be _that_ hard to find Dianite in here. The man’s a god, he’s kind of hard to miss.” He didn’t mention the connection that Karl knew he had with the chaos god that would fail to lead him astray.

Silence was no longer of importance and Karl was glad when they could sprint down the halls without a care for how loud their boots were. Jordan took up the rear with his bow and Karl and Tom both drew their diamond swords. Tom led them down passages seemingly at random, but Karl was confident that Tom would lead them to Dianite, and he was right.

Jordan’s expression was unamused as Tom flipped his coat and bowed to Dianite with an overly dramatic and enthusiastic, “My lord!”, and Karl was inclined to sympathize with him. As far as Karl was aware, Jordan had believed that Tom was his teammate for the past month or so. To see Tom praising his ‘true god’ had to feel like a punch in the gut. Also, Dianite was the most suspicious of the gods, and now he had a devout follower again. Or possibly had never lost his. Karl didn’t know which one was more terrifying.

“Do you have the stone?” Dianite demanded, hovering a few inches above the ground. Karl forced himself not to look at Dianite’s face - it was contorted with red welts and angry burn scars and Karl wished that Dianite would hurry up and force it to heal.

“Yep!” Tom replied. “Well, Jordan does. He fought me for it, sir.” Tom shifted, seeming slightly embarrassed. “Never been killed by netherite before.” He looked up at his god. “Any chance I could get one of those swords?”

“You…” Dianite was practically smoking with anger, “... _lost it?”_ The god’s eyes flashed with fury and Karl was glad that he wasn’t Tom.

“No?” Tom responded, looking confused. “Jordan has it. That’s better than the Darkness having it, surely?” He glanced over at Jordan, then Karl. Karl shrugged.

Dianite landed on the ground and put one hand on Tom’s shoulder. “Zombie boy… if Sparklez has it, it’s as good as lost,” he explained in a low voice, though Karl could hear every word and he was sure Jordan could too. “I told you to make sure that nobody else got it. I gave you _one job,_ my champion. I didn’t tell you my reasoning because I didn’t want you doing something reckless.” Dianite’s nostrils flared. “I regret my decision.”

“Dianite,” Jordan’s voice was quiet, yet assertive, “I would like to kindly urge you to stop talking.” There was a pause in which it was quiet enough to hear a pin drop. “Tom, he’s trying to turn you and Karl against me. Don’t let him, please. I haven’t done anything wrong.” Jordan looked over at Karl, then turned back to Tom and Dianite.

“Tom tried to convince me to betray you earlier,” Karl suddenly recalled. “Just after we freed Dianite, and you passed out.” He narrowed his eyes at Tom and Dianite. “What the hell is going on?” Karl demanded.

“He _what?”_ Jordan sounded shocked. “Tom… I thought…” Jordan glanced at Dianite, then back at Tom. _“Why?”_

Tom raised his hands in a gesture of surrender. “It was a joke, I swear! I didn’t know anything about any of this! Karl can attest, we never _actually_ planned to turn against you!” Tom insisted, taking a small step away from the group.

“Would you betray me if Dianite asked you to?” Jordan spat, his hands clenched into fists. Karl wanted to stop this. He didn’t understand why this was happening - they were supposed to be the gods’ champions, a _team._

Tom was silent, with a tortured expression on his face. Karl wasn’t asked the question, but his mind asked him for an answer anyway - _would I turn against my friends for Mianite?_

Karl was forced to admit that he didn’t know, and it didn’t look like Tom did either.

Jordan seemed to get something different out of Tom’s unwillingness to reply. “I see how it is,” he growled. “Karl,” Karl blinked, surprised, and looked over at Jordan, “come over here. It looks like we’re going to fight our way out.” Jordan’s tone called for no argument or hesitation - either Karl did as he was bid, or didn’t.

As it was, Karl was standing at almost equal distance from the Ianite and Dianite champions. Jordan looked at him expectantly, while Tom looked scared and pleading. Karl _hated_ this. He’d been forced to pick a side once before, and he’d ended up with Mianite. Order. Now he had to side with either balance or chaos. Dianite didn’t trust Jordan, and Tom trusted Dianite. Karl trusted Tom, but he trusted Jordan more.

Karl walked to stand at Jordan’s shoulder.

Dianite glared at them. “You are a _clever_ one, Captain,” Dianite hissed. “Very well. I will take you all home… but beware, Captain…” The chaos god narrowed his eyes, “...because I will be keeping a very close eye on you.” Dianite scowled.

Karl assumed that they were supposed to be transported home, because there was a brief pause in which nothing happened, and Dianite looked confused.

“Are you, er, weaker than you thought?” Tom asked, looking over at his god. Karl couldn’t ignore the way his eyes flickered to Jordan. So much suspicion… had Dianite been speaking to Tom through their connection?

Dianite clenched his hand into a fist. “No,” he growled. “Something is blocking me.” Dianite paused. “The Darkness doesn’t want us to leave. We’ll have to find another way out.”

Jordan cursed under his breath and Karl glanced at him. “Jordan?” he prompted. The Ianite champion looked annoyed, or maybe dejected. Then Karl noticed the murderous look in Jordan’s eyes and assumed that he was tired and just wanted to battle the Darkness once and for all. Honestly, Karl felt the same - if he was strong enough, he’d rather just beat back the Darkness than continue trying to undermine it like this.

“The Darkness is here.” Jordan’s voice was quiet and strained. “There’s no more time.” He looked over at Karl, black eyes burning into Karl through his sunglasses. “I’m sorry.” Jordan didn’t sound sorry. In fact, he was smiling.

Before Karl could reply, a sour tang bit the back of Karl’s throat and a sinister black smoke curled around the edges of the room. Karl recognized the taste - it had always accompanied the Darkness-infused smoke and had sat under his tongue during the entire ceremony at the Tank of Judgement until Mianite had been finally cleansed - but it had never been this strong before. Karl inhaled through his nose, trying not to choke or get any of the smoke in his lungs.

The smoke thickened until Karl could only see the hazy outlines of his friends and he coughed, waving his hands in a futile attempt to clear it. Karl felt dizzy and stumbled, grateful when he fell against Jordan’s shoulder. Jordan didn’t even look at him.

It started to recede until the smoke was contained at the front of the room, coiling and solidifying until it had created a humanoid, grey-skinned and shot through with jet-black veins, elongated fingers that curled like claws, and smoky acid-green eyes that could have been made of emerald for all the emotion that they showed. Karl gulped. So this was the Darkness.

“The zombie, the caveman, the captain… and Lord Dianite,” the Darkness drawled with a toothy, unsettling grin. “I believe you have something of mine.” Karl flinched as the Darkness’ gaze passed over him and landed on Jordan.

Dianite stepped towards the Darkness and pushed Tom back, placing himself between the Darkness and his champion. “I know what you’ve done,” Dianite declared, pointing an accusing finger at the smoking entity. “You’ve replaced Jordan with one of your puppets.”

Karl froze and slowly turned his gaze to Jordan. The Ianite champion’s face betrayed nothing other than a subtle flicker of an unidentifiable emotion that Karl barely managed to catch. If Dianite was right… then everything after the prison, at least, had been a lie. His friendship with Jordan through their escapade in the Nether had been a _lie._ Karl hated it and he didn’t want to believe it. He wanted to grab Jordan and beg him to prove that it wasn’t true. But Jordan just glanced at him with a tiny smile that was far from reassuring, and Karl’s heart sank.

The Darkness looked directly at Dianite, eyebrows raised in a high arch. The silence was long and dragged on before it was broken by a high, shrill sound that grated on Karl’s nerves. The Darkness was laughing.

“You think you’re so _clever,_ godling.” The Darkness sneered, reminding Karl of when Dianite had called Jordan clever just moments earlier. “You really think that I could replace the dear captain and none of you would notice? The priest was _easy…_ you never see much of him anyway. But the captain?” The Darkness frowned in mocking pity. “Tsk, tsk. I’ve corrupted him so badly that even _you_ can’t recognize him, despite your chasing after him like a lost puppy, _Dianite.”_ It leaned forward, peering past Dianite to Tom. “Tell me… does Tom know that you’d abandon him in an instant if the captain wished to be your champion?”

Dianite flinched back as if the Darkness had raked its claws across his face. Tom looked as if he’d just been dunked in the ocean - floundering in the water and struggling to catch a breath. Karl tried to swallow the hard lump in his throat and found it persistent. Karl grabbed the sleeve of Jordan’s coat and tugged, bringing Jordan’s attention over to him, _finally._

“Jordan,” Karl pleaded, “explain.” Hope. Karl was holding onto a tiny thread of hope. The Darkness lied. The Darkness always lied. Dianite lied. He wanted to trust Jordan. He’d thought that he could trust Jordan.

Jordan smiled, and for a moment Karl’s heart swelled, because it seemed so much like his friend, the powerful yet generous and helpful Ianitee with a stubborn streak, but then the Darkness’ laughter rumbled again in Karl’s ears and the vision vanished. Jordan’s smile turned crooked and in one smooth motion, he shoved Karl away and onto the ground, forcing Karl to let go of his arm.

Netherite flashed above him and Karl drew a ragged breath, his vision blurred. His mind was racing with a whirlwind of thoughts and emotions, the forefront of which were betrayal, bewilderment, denial, and fear. The freezing metal of Jordan’s sword pressed against Karl’s neck and he baulked, swearing quickly under his breath and listening to his heart pound in his ears.

Karl managed to get his head to stop spinning and looked up at Jordan, eyes wide and desperate. The tip of Jordan’s sword was digging into Karl’s skin, not hard enough to draw blood, but enough to keep Karl from moving. The captain’s sunglasses had fallen down his nose and there was murder in his eyes. With startling clarity, Karl knew that Jordan wouldn’t hesitate to kill him if he had to. The thought dragged through Karl’s mind and stuck, forcing mixed emotions into Karl’s chest and sending a stabbing pain through his heart.

“Captain!” The Darkness called. Jordan’s head snapped up and he looked back over his shoulder at it. “Let him go. I don’t think Mianite’s paramour will be doing much for a little while. You’ve given him quite the fright, by the looks of things.” The Darkness grinned, canines flashing.

Jordan fell back and Karl collapsed onto the ground, chest heaving. It took a few long moments for the truth to sink in. Jordan was obeying the Darkness’ orders. Jordan was not his friend. Jordan was a _traitor._ Jordan wanted to kill him. Karl forced himself to roll onto his side and sit up, his entire body begging him to flee. But he was trapped, with nowhere to run or hide, and his god was far, far away. There was nobody to help him, except maybe Tom. Tom, who had just revealed himself to have been lying to Karl and Jordan about being an Ianitee for the past month. No, Karl didn’t trust him either.

“Well, gentlemen, it seems that the game has been played, and time is up,” the Darkness declared. “You’ve done well, Captain. I see that I made the right decision.” It smiled at Jordan with less intensity than its previous grins, and a pang shot through Karl’s heart. Mianite barely acknowledged his presence other than when Karl demanded his attention, nevermind _praised_ him. Karl would never join the Darkness - he’d tried that once, by accident, and hated every second - but he had to admit that it would be nice to be appreciated.

Jordan walked towards the Darkness and dropped to one knee with his head bowed. “Thank you, m’lord,” he replied enthusiastically. Karl gaped at him. None of this made any sense, none of this could be happening… and yet it was. “I’m glad that you’re happy with my work, m’lord.” Jordan’s voice was low but vehement.

“Oh, _Jordan…”_ Karl heard Tom whisper from where he stood a few paces away. Karl couldn’t have put it better himself. Jordan had always been the most reserved and serious of them all… but neither of them could have ever guessed that he would go this far for his (twisted) sense of balance. Was it even masquerading as balance anymore, or had Jordan finally given way to one side? Jordan had been walking Ianite’s tightrope for so long… Karl guessed that after that amount of time, once he’d fallen, he’d fallen hard. And now he was on the side of the Darkness. Their collective enemy.

“The stone, please,” the Darkness extended its claw-like hand to Jordan, “my _champion.”_ The last word came out as a triumphant purr, taunting and prideful. Karl felt like he, Tom, and Dianite were being shown a particularly priceless relic by its current holder, and the Darkness wanted them all to know what it had and they didn’t. Especially Dianite. There was an expression of gloating on the Darkness’ face as it smirked at Dianite. The chaos god looked almost heartbroken.

“Yes, m’lord.” Jordan reached into his coat pocket and retrieved the small, smooth stone, before placing it in the Darkness’ hand without hesitation. Karl felt as if someone were chipping away at his heart with a chisel. He’d given that stone to Jordan. He’d _entrusted_ it to Jordan, because Jordan had sworn he’d use it for the best for all of them. And it had all been a lie.

“Jordan!” Tom swore loudly and charged forward. Karl stared at him, aghast and terrified for him, and Dianite looked as if he was genuinely considering smiting his champion to keep him out of the Darkness’ grasp. “Jordan… Ianite... you can’t- _why?”_ he stammered.

Jordan slowly stood up and turned to face Tom, his face dark and serious. “You want to know why?” Jordan said, his words careful and sharp. “Well, Tom… you said it best yourself. I’ve seen the light and the dark and I decided that the dark was better.” Jordan’s lips curled into a mocking smile. “The _one true god,_ you might say.”

Tom paled and flinched away from Jordan. Before, when Tom had said those exact words to Jordan, there had been barely any weight to them. Now, they packed a punch that Karl could never have anticipated. “How long?” That was Tom’s final question, quiet yet urgent. _“How fucking long?”_ Tom’s eyes were desperate and wild and Karl might’ve been scared of him if he hadn’t been standing next to Jordan.

Jordan grinned and Karl managed to stagger to his feet during the brief pause. “Oh, you know…” Jordan hummed. He cracked his neck and glanced over at the Darkness, then back at Tom. “... _always.”_ The last word was a hiss, and Tom looked as if he was going to collapse. Jordan seemed to notice this and added, “Why don’t you run back to Dianite, zombie boy?”, his voice full of venom. “That seems to be all you know how to do. You’re a terrible liar, Tom. I knew you weren’t Ianite from the start.” Jordan started to walk past Tom, towards Dianite. “You only follow Dianite for the ‘evil’. I was surprised when you didn’t abandon Dianite upon discovering that this realm’s version of him was… less than satisfying to you.” Jordan glanced back. “It’s not too late, you know.”

“How dare- how dare you, you can’t call me out for not being Ianite and then declare yourself a follower of Darkness!” Tom spluttered, rounding on Jordan. The Darkness was still grinning, looking more than amused. “That’s called hypocrisy!”

“Oh, really? I didn’t know,” Jordan replied dryly, pausing in his steps. “Here’s the piece of the puzzle you were missing, Tom… _Ianite is the Darkness._ And she always has been… at least to you and me. I pledged myself to the Darkness a long time ago, unintentionally… but, you know, it’s not so bad.” Jordan’s words didn’t reflect his expression, because Jordan looked positively _thrilled_ to be the Darkness’ champion. “Possessed by the Darkness, replaced by the Darkness, controlled by the Darkness… I never could figure it out, but then again, I don’t really _care.”_

Karl inhaled sharply, suddenly remembering the first time he’d met the goddess of balance. She’d felt off, somehow, but so had Dianite when Karl had greeted him, in another way. It had been the same feeling as when Mianite had shifted to the Darkness’ side. Karl’s head swam and Dianite appeared at his side, latching onto his arm and holding him fast.

“Calm down,” Dianite directed, whispering into Karl’s ear. “Breathe, Karl.” But Karl couldn’t breathe. Everything was _wrong…_ Ianite was the Darkness, _Jordan_ was the Darkness, and Karl… Karl didn’t know what to do.

Jordan paused in front of Karl and Dianite, his expression becoming more melancholic. “Oh, Karl… I’m sorry,” Jordan whispered, and Karl could almost believe it. “I had hoped that we could work together, once. You and I, champions of Darkness… it’s a wonderful thought, isn’t it?”

“No… _never,”_ Karl spat, with more force than he had thought he could muster. He wrenched his arm out of Dianite’s grip and took two paces towards Jordan, close enough to hit Jordan in the face if he wanted. And Karl wanted - but he didn’t. “I already denied the Darkness once, why the fuck would you think I would ever _join you?”_ Karl’s hand went to the diamond sword on his belt and he uttered a silent prayer to Mianite for what he was planning to do. It would get him killed, definitely, and most likely trapped in the prison… but Karl didn’t think he could face the islands after this.

“Little heroes, thinking they’ve got what it takes,” the Darkness murmured from behind Jordan with a chuckle. “I think Karl will be more agreeable when he’s separated from the traitor and his god - don’t you, my champion?” The Darkness stared at Dianite as if daring him to interject.

“I do, m’lord,” Jordan answered, and before Karl could take another breath, Jordan had grabbed him by the arm and the room had vanished.

Karl staggered and grabbed onto the parapet, taking a moment to realize that he and Jordan were on top of a spire that towered above the prison. “Guard’s lookout,” Jordan provided, watching Karl stare down at the ground far beneath them with an emotionless expression.

“Now, Karl, just… put aside your anger and _listen_ for a second, okay?” Jordan pleaded, and Karl hesitated. Jordan seemed more sincere than before - maybe being out of range of his _lord_ (gods, Karl was still struggling with that notion) had some effect on his personality. “You were Darkness once, I know - I was there. But you weren’t _really_ Darkness, and you were so caught up in your preconceived ideas of what Darkness was that you never actually stopped to think of it as an option.”

Jordan paused. “I know you’re unhappy with Mianite. We can all see that you were meant to be Dianite and want to be Dianite. Mianite doesn’t really want you either, Karl… he barely visits you or answers your prayers. The gods have forced you into a position that you weren’t supposed to have, and I… I don’t know what happens to you. You weren’t in the land of Mianite, nor Ruxomar. Only the Isles. Perhaps you aren’t the rightful champion of Mianite, but… the Darkness is willing to have another,” Jordan offered.

Karl hated the fact that Jordan was right with his qualms about Mianite. He didn’t want to think about it, but he wasn’t really happy with Mianite. He hadn’t been happy with the Darkness, either, but Jordan seemed content enough. More than content, even. _But Jordan lied to me, and attacked Tom, and attacked me, and betrayed all of us. I can’t trust him. Never again._

“Stand with me, Karl,” Jordan said. “Side-by-side, nobody would be able to challenge us. Power, appreciation, friendship… you’ll have everything you’ve ever wanted. And in time, Tom will join us too, I’m sure of it. The gods may have ruled in the other realms, but things need to change. And if you don’t change with it… Karl, I don’t want to see you get left behind.” Jordan’s eyes were pleading. “Just take my hand, Karl.”

Jordan held out his hand and Karl hesitated.

**Author's Note:**

> BIG PROPS TO THE NERF HOUSE AND MIANITE MONDAY FOR INSPIRING ME ONCE AGAIN  
> so yesterday's mianite monday was pretty swick and i absolutely had to write down this concept  
> h leave a comment if you enjoyed please i appreciate them very much


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